Pipe-gripe



(No Model.)

- W. B. TATRO.

' PIPE GRIPE.

No. 252,632. Patented Jan. 24,1882.

' 'UNiTen STATES PATENT Garrett,-

WILLIAM' B. TATRC, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

PlPE-GRl PE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 252,632, dated January24, 1882.

Application tiled October 31, 1861. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that. I, \VILLIAM B. TATRO, of Hartford, county of Hartford,and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulIniprovements in Pipe-Gripes, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters of reference marked /thereon.

'My invention has relation to that class of devices or implements calledpipe gripes, and intended to be applied to the jaws of any ordinarybench-vise for the purpose of holding a pipe or rod or similar articleto be on tor worked,

thus converting the vise iorthe time into a pipeholding vise.

- Theobjectofmyinventionisto produceasimple, cheap, and substantialimplement, which may be readily attached to and detached from the jawsof the vise, wherein the tooth-pieces are made separate from andafterward applied upon the faces of the jaws of the pipe-gripe, whereinthe back plate and front plate of the pipe-gripe are prevented fromseparating from each other by attachments applied at their margins,instead of at their centers, as in previous constructions, and whereinthe adjacent surfaces of these plates (when in use) are so formed as toafford an extended and secure bearing, obviating all danger of breakingby extreme pressures.

To this end my improvements involve cer tain novel and usefulpeculiarities of construction and arrangements or eombinationsot'parts,all of which will be herein first fully described, and then pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a perspective view of a pipe-gripe constructed and arranged inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section and elevationupon a plane passing through one of thejaws. Fig. 3 is a side elevationof one of thejaws, showing a modilied manner of locating thecoupling-strips thereon,the back plate being omitted. Fig.4 is aperspective view of one ofthe tooth-pieces detached from its seat in theface of thejaw.

In all these figures like letters of reference, wherever they occur,indicate corresponding parts.

Pipe-gripes otthis character are ordinarily constructed or composedoftwomain parts, one for each of thejaws ofthe vise, and one par t has asinglejaw made to enter the space between the twojaws on the oppositepart. The pipe or other article to be held is clamped between the twoparts, as is well understood.

A is the back plate, intended to be secured against the face of thevise-jaw, and for this purpose it is provided with a tang, B, havingsetting-screw C, for bearing upon the top of the vise-jaw, and with nibsD l) or other suitable projections, which fall beneath the vise-jaw.Other approved means of securing the gripe upon the vise may, however,be adopted.

E is a jaw of the pipe-gripe, mounted upon back plate, A, and recessedin front, substantially as iudicated,for the accommodation of the pipeor rod to be held. The griping-teeth are made upon a piece separate fromthe jaw and afterward applied and held in place.

Heretofore in this classot'pipe-gripes thejaw has been made ofcast-steel throughout, and of other metal, teeth and all, and on accountof its form and size has been liable to crack and break, destroying thewhole implement.

I make the teeth upon a separate piece of stee1,.as I This should be ofgood quality and well made. It is preferably of bar-steel, the

teeth being cut or milled thereon after the bar is bent to tit therecess in thejaw. It may be otherwise made, however, as by drop-forgingor other well-known means, and toolsteel is found tobe the best materialfor the purpose.

This tooth-piece F is made to lit a narrow groove in the front ofthejaw, and is held in place at top and bottom by the overlapping ends aa ofthe strips G, employed also for coupling the face and back platestogether. The jaws and the plates may be made of ordinary cast ormalleable iron or other metal, and then, with the separate steeltooth-pieces in place, form an implement of superior durability and lesscost than the ordinary forms abovealluded' to. The tooth=pieces F may bereadily detached by simply taking off one of the holding-strips G, andthey may then be replaced by new ones,

'it'desired. This removability of the tooth-pieces might be secured byuse of screws passing through them and entering thejaws; but I pre- I00fer the construction shown, as it enables me to make the pieces Foflighter material than would other wise be required.

The jaw E is cast with the face plate, H, and the strips Gr have tonguesb, which ride over the margin of the back plate, A, serving to couplethe parts together. The back plate, A, is slightly dished, as indicated,and the face plate, H, is inclined, so as to fit fairly and smoothlyinto the hollow so formed. A central stud, K, on the face plate enters arecess formed in the back plate for its reception, and around the studthe material of the face plate may be removed, as shown at c.

When the pipe-gripe is in use the stud K does not quite reach the backplate and the recess 0 prevents the possibility of the two plates beingbrought into contact at their central parts. Any strain upon the gripeso constructed will be transmitted to the part of the back plate removedfrom the center, and thus all liability to break the face plate isobviated.

A central hearing, such as heretofore employed in this class of devices,admits of the outer portions ofthe face-plate being bent over the centeras over a fulcrum, which bending rendersthe plateliable to be broken. Bycoupling the plates at the margin, instead of at the center, anytendency to crowd one out of posi tion will be counteracted by thecoupling to much greater advantage, the holding power having a leverageover the crowding strain equal to the diameter of the face plate,instead of only the radius; and the adoption of theinclined bearingsurfaces between the back and face plates enables me to make the gripemore compact than heretofore, because such heavy weight of material isnot required to withstand the strains brought upon it. Inasmuch as thesegripes are to be placed between the jaws of the vise, one part upon eachjaw, this compactness is of material advantage, especially when thelimit of movement of the visejaws is restricted, as it is in many formsof vises. It the bearing-surfaces of these two plates were. made plainor flat, as heretofore, in order to obtain the required strength, theback plate would necessarily be thicker-in the center than herein shown,and the front plate thicker at the periphery,.thus employing more metaland causing the gripe to occupy a greater space between the jaws of thevise. Moreover, the correspondiugly-inclined bearing-surfaces resist anytendency to sidewise displacement of the two plates when in use,obviating the necessity of a headed central pin passing through the backplate, as heretofore.

The stud K prew'ents overcrowding against the coupling-strips and helpsto maintain the parts in their proper relative positions. It may beformed upon the back plate, if desired, and enter a recess in theadjacent plate. The holding-strips may beset in recesses provided forthem, as in Fig. 3, instead of being located along the tops of thejaws,as in Figs. 1 and 2.

Ordinary screws are employed to hold the coupling-stri1')s in place; butother means of attachment may be adopted. The part of the gripe havingthe two jaws has also double sets of holding-strips and removabletooth-pieces. In other respects it is constructed the same as the parthaving the single jaw.

The improved device, constructed and arranged substantially as hereinindicated, is easily and cheaply made, not liable to damage either inthe manufacture or ordinary use, and answers the purposes or object ofthe invention, as previously stated. \Vhen the teeth become worn theycan be quickly replaced by a new set-an advantage not attained in formerconstructions.

Having now fully described myinvention, I I

will add that I do not claim broadly a pipegripe to be applied to thejaws of a vise, nor such a pi1,)e-gripe having revolvingjaws; but

What I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a pipe-gripe composed of two main parts for attachment to theseparate jaws of a vise, the combination of the back plate and therecessed jaw provided with the removable tooth-plate, said jaw beingloosely secured to the back plate by coupling-strips extending over themargin of the back plate, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

2. In a pipe-gripe composed of two main parts for attachment to theseparate jaws of a vise, the.combination of the back plate, the front orjaw plate, the jaw formed thereon, the separable tooth-plate, and thecoupling-strips, serving to hold the several parts substantially in themanner shown and described.

The recessed jaw formed upon the face plate and grooved in its frontedge and the separate steel tooth-plate bent to correspond with therecessed jaw and fitting the groove therein,said jaw being mounted andarranged upon a back plate, the several parts being held in placebycoupling-strips which extend over the margin of the back plate,substantially as shown and described.

4. In a pipe-gripe of the character herein set forth, theface and backplates correspondingly inclined on their hearing-surfaces, substantiallyas and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a pipcgripe, the combination of the back plate and the face platebearing the aw or jaws, the two plates being coupled at their margins,substantially as set forth.

6. Ina pipe-gripe,thetwo plates,made movable one upon the other, coupledat their margins and provided wit-h a centrally-disposed stud,substantially as shown, and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand inthe presence of two witnesses.

WM. B. TATRO.

ICC

